April 29, 2010
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Make war (Herod, blogging, appetites, the glory of God & the Word of God)
Acts 12:20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food.
21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”
When we satisfy others' fleshly appetites, we may very well receive earthly acclaim...for a time...
When we satisfy our own fleshly appetites for acclaim, we may very well receive earthly acclaim...for a time...Acts 12:20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food.
21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”
23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
When we satisfy others' fleshly appetites, we can be sure we will receive no heavenly acclaim.
When we satisfy others' fleshly appetites, we can be sure we will bring no glory to God.
When we satisfy our own fleshly appetites for acclaim, we can be sure we will receive no heavenly acclaim.
When we satisfy our own fleshly appetites for acclaim, we can be sure we will bring no glory to God.God is very serious about His glory and jealous for His Name:
Isaiah 48:11b My glory I will not give to another.Exodus 34:14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)...
Ezekiel 39:25b I will be jealous for my holy name.
Remember that because Moses did not hallow the name of the Lord, he was prohibited from leading the nation of Israel into the promised land.
Remember that the Lord's prayer begins with the words, "Hallowed be Thy Name."
Remember that God is all about His glory:
Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Over the past few days, well, really the past couple weeks, though it's peaked in the past couple days, I've been struggling. No, it's not a new struggle.I look at how few people read my blogs. I know my focus is wrong.
But the truth is this: over an entire week here, I may get as many readers as some people get on a single post. I've been lusting and coveting. I've been jealous and envious. I have confessed these things to God once more, and I confess them to you.
I've wanted to throw up my hands and chuck it all. It's hard to keep writing when you don't see results. But I'm not called to write for results but to keep obeying God and writing by faith – results or no results.
Like Herod, I have been tempted to feed my own fleshly appetites and satisfy my own lust with the voices of earthly acclaim.“The voice of a god, and not of a man!”Ought I rather be seeking to hear God's voice?
"Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master."As a Christian, though I'm in the world, I'm no longer of the world. I've been born again by the Spirit of God and I've been given a new nature. I am a new creation. I've been purchased by Christ's blood to live to no longer serve my own lusts but to serve the Lord and to do His will. I'm now a citizen of Christ's Kingdom. I have Christ's Spirit dwelling in me. That means I'm not to live like the world, and through Christ's Spirit, I do have the power to live differently from the world – I have no excuse.
Therefore, though I'm blogging here on Xanga, I'm not to blog like most of Xanga but rather to blog like a child of God, like a citizen of Christ's Kingdom, like Jesus Himself...because I am a child of God, because I am a citizen of Christ's Kingdom, because I have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in me. I'm not to seek to satisfy my own fleshly appetite for acclaim. I'm not to seek to be a Xangalebrity. I'm not to obsess over view count. I'm not to seek recommendations. I'm not to sugar coat things so more people will read. I'm not here to see that I receive acclaim but rather that Jesus Christ receives the proper acclaim due His Name. I'm not to seek my own glory but to seek to bring glory to God in my blogging. That's the greater truth that must undergird all I do. And that truth must trump all every time. Utterly impossible with me, but truly possible through Christ in me!
It's all too easy to be like Herod or the people at Babel who sought to make a name for themselves or Peter who flat out denied Jesus. It's all too easy to give in to those desires. I see myself in those people. I have the same struggle with sin and self.
Rawr! Make War against sin and the flesh and the lusts thereof!I must die daily to those fleshly desires and mortify those earthly appetites for my own acclaim and glory!As John Piper has said, "My biggest enemy is John Piper" ... my biggest enemy is Karen.Christ died on the cross in my place so I might be dead to my fleshly desires for earthly acclaim and to make a name for myself. The Holy Spirit dwells in me to give me new, holy desires: so I might live to bring acclaim to the name of Christ and bring glory to God in all I do, including my blogging here.
Romans 13:12-14 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (HT: Tom)One final point here...which I don't want us to miss – which I don't want to miss. Please notice verse 24...
Acts 12:20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food.
21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”
23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.Do you see the contrast there?
Herod was eaten by worms and breathed his last.But the word of God increased and multiplied.
When we satisfy others' fleshly appetites, we can be sure we will receive no heavenly acclaim.
When we satisfy others' fleshly appetites, we can be sure we will bring no glory to God.
When we satisfy others' fleshly appetites, we can be sure we will bear no lasting fruit.
When we satisfy our own fleshly appetites for acclaim, we can be sure we will receive no heavenly acclaim.
When we satisfy our own fleshly appetites for acclaim, we can be sure we will bring no glory to God.
When we satisfy our own fleshly appetites for acclaim, we can be sure we will bear no lasting fruit.As a Christian, I should value what Christ valued. I should have Kingdom values. I should be living for eternity and for the things that last for eternity. Jesus' desire is that we bear fruit, fruit that will last. When I blog, as I give out the Word of God in the power of God, though it may not be valued by many today (no, the truth is that the things of Jesus Christ and the Word of God will not be valued by many today), I can be sure it is valued in the eyes of God and that what I am doing does have eternal value.
Isaiah 40:6 A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the LORD blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
I have noticed that there are a few of my posts that people come to and read over time. No, I don't get that initial flurry of activity like the Xangalebrities here. But by the grace of God and the power of God, I'm attempting to write things that will stand the test of time. I may not make it to the Xanga front page, I may not make it to the Top Blogs, but I can trust that though as I sow with tears today, when I am giving out the Word of God through the Spirit of God, that Word will stand forever and it will be implanted in some softened hearts and bear fruit to God's glory...and that is something I can never be ashamed of...ever...Plus I can trust that in due time I will reap. That's God's promise to all of us who are striving to give out the Word of God faithfully. I continue to pray that God will keep each of us sowing here with the sure hope we will reap in due time.
Psalm 126:5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
As Christians, we are to continue to encourage one another onto love and good works. May those of us who are like-minded here continue to encourage one another as we blog the Word of God to the glory of God.
I thank God for each of you whom God has used to encourage me.
John Piper'sRelated posts:
on blogging:
- Why I blog and the only kind of recommendation I should seek
- blogging, view count, comments, numbers and the glory of God
- dedication 2010 (reflections on God's Word & God's grace)
- praying for Revelife (and your own blog)
- blogging to build up the ruined Church of God
on persevering in sowing:
- Bible Reading-Mark 4: (6) Kingdom-Obsessed People persevere in scattering seed
- Why, Lord? (Letter 52 on assurance & fighting for joy)
- without Kingdom vision, my vision will perish (reaping from Livingstone's Kingdom vision)
- every time (the prophet's affirmation in depression, doubt & distress)
- the devil and God, passion and vision, lies and truth
- the world says . . . You say . . . I say (a prayer of dedication)
on mortifying sin:
- Bible Reading: Job 2:1 - "Again" (To press on we must always be mortifying sin | John Owen)
- the visitor we can't ever entertain (mortifying sin)
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Comments (8)
Good Morning Karen, Very thoughtful post as usual. I am sure the Lord is going to reward you for your noble efforts to bring praise and honor to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I am always amused (sorry) about poor Herod shooting off his mouth in public and them dying of worms eating his guts. It must have been a dreadful way to die. I think one King in the O.T. had his intestines fall out causing him to die in great pain. It is not smart to make God angry. I read in 2 Chronicles this morning that a king who started well, ended badly and it said, 'God got angry.' Not a good thing.
I will continue to pray for your site here and your goals. They are goals that God will honor for sure.
blessings
frank
This is our ongoing discouragement - that men are not paying attention to the things God has called us to speak. Others are being lauded while we are being ignored...by whom?...Not God!..He knows our faithfulness and will reward us. The work He has planned for us to walk in is His work. Nothing the He plans will fail!
"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:1-2)
We keep turning around to see who is following us. What folly! We could stumble and fall! Jesus has already finished the race. He is our leader. If we are looking unto Jesus, we are keeping our eyes ahead.... on Him!
"For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin." (Heb 12:3-4)
He endured hostility (and nonattention) while doing THE most important work for us. Maybe as a man He became weary and discouraged, but He didn't allow that to immobilize Him. Thanks be to God!
MAKE WAR!!!! We should lobby to make that a mini.
That;s all I have to say.
@ANVRSADDAY - That whole event w/ Herod is quite shocking, isn't it? As you say: It is not smart to make God angry.
I thought of Psalm 2 as I was writing this, but didn't include any references, but in v. 4 we read of God's attitude toward any of us who liken themselves as kings like Herod and don't recognize Christ as the King of kings and bow to Him alone: "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision."
As you can see here my motives are sometimes mixed, so my efforts are not always noble, but I'm praying that God might continue to purify me and use me for His glory.
I so appreciate your support and prayers, Frank! Thank you so much.
Blessings in Christ,
Karen
@quest4god@revelife - Wow! You were on a roll here, Norm (or should I rather say the Spirit?) These words are all powerful and much-needed exhortations/encouragements to/for me. Thank you, Bro!
He endured hostility (and nonattention) while doing THE most important work for us. Maybe as a man He became weary and discouraged, but He didn't allow that to immobilize Him.
I think I should put these up somewhere for future reference!
nonattention ... Grrr! I don't like nonattention.
And that thing about Christ not allowing anything to immobilize Him.
I too easily get immobilized...
Wonderful truths! Thank you for speaking them in love.
@llamalima - Oh, yes! A MAKE WAR mini...That'd be awesome! Uh, except that would be too violent, wouldn't it? ;-p
@naphtali_deer - I think God was speaking to me also there. To me/through me...sometimes His words to me come through my lips, and I stop and write it down. "Is that You, Lord?" But back to the post, I know God is not shocked by what we say. An honest confession can and should lead to a change of attitude or action, so that's produces a meek spirit in those who are led by the Spirit. Remember the song:
" He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars, The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient He must be,'cause He's still working on me."
@quest4god - Honest confession...the man (woman) after God's own heart. Yes, He's still working on us...one day we will be that glorious Church holy & w/out blemish! Yes, hard to imagine at times, but that's a sure promise. He is remaking us into Christ's image. The golden chain of Romans 8:29-30 is eternal and unbreakable: foreknown, predestined, called, justified, glorified! Psalm 115:1.